Friday, March 8, 2013

10 ways to save money right now.

i love a deal. and i've discovered some really simple ways anyone can save some cash. these won't solve all your financial woes, but it will get you started.

1. if you eat out, make sure it's at places that have a reward card (example: Qdoba=yes; Chipotle=no). you should be rewarded for your loyalty. and i have been. with many, many free burritos.

2. make sure your insurance payments (such as auto and renter's) are on automatic draft. you'll save several dollars a month, and that adds up.

3. you know that coupon book that the kids are selling at school? buy one. then tear out all the coupons for places you already go regularly (you won't use the rest). put them in your purse or wallet in alphabetical order in an envelope. every time you pull out cash or a debit card, think to yourself, do i have a coupon for this?

4. get on email lists to your favorite drugstore, grocery store and restaurant. they will email you coupons on a regular basis. CVS sends one out every week for 20 percent off your next purchase. open them or don't, but they are waiting for you when you need them. ideally you will be getting a discount EVERY time you shop anywhere.

5. don't cut coupons from the newspaper. they generally aren't worth it unless you quit your job and get a Ph.D. in the coupon sciences. and they are usually for processed, overpriced foods anyway. it's all an illusion.

new skirts at goodwill.

6. say goodbye to your expensive skin care products. yes, i said it. and i'm not taking it back. i switched to cetaphil from a majorly expensive brand and i love it just as much, if not more. and it's less than half the price. (way less) oh, and the best thing you can do for skin is use sunscreen and drink water. those two things will do more than an $80 bottle of eye cream ever could.

7. shop at goodwill. go on a day when you have plenty of time and have no kids with you. scour the racks for good brands like banana republic and talbots (those have the best resale value - more on that later). recently i got four adorable wool skirts for four bucks each. at my goodwill, on the first saturday of the month, everything is half price. that means that four dollar talbots skirt is now 2 bucks. yeah, baby.

german chocolate hazelnut bars at aldi

8. call your cable company and your cell phone company and inquire about a better deal. very often there is a level down that better suits your checkbook. cable/cell can be one of your highest bills if you're not careful (especially cable, because it seems to go up in price every six months. so wrong.)

9. set up alerts on your cell phone. receive a text message when you are getting close to your maximum airtime/minutes/data. that keeps you from getting a surprise bazillion dollar bill at the end of the month.

10. aldi. there. i said it. yes, you have to use a quarter to get out the cart. yes, you have to bag your own groceries. but YES, you will save a ton of money. if it makes you feel any better, it's owned by the same german company that owns trader joe's. and you can always count on finding cool german stuff there like spaetzle, strudel and kugel. (seriously).